Devices used to treat patients during medical emergencies may record medical emergency information. For example, a defibrillator used by paramedics to treat a patient may record an electrocardiogram or a heart rate over time via electrodes or paddles attached to the patient. The defibrillator may also record a capnograph, a plethysmograph, a blood oxygen saturation over time, a blood pressure over time, a pulse rate over time, end tidal carbon dioxide measurements, or measurements of the fraction of carbon dioxide in air inspired or expired via appropriate sensors.
The therapies delivered to the patient, and the times at which therapies were delivered to the patient may also be recorded by the defibrillator. For example, the defibrillator may record the amplitude and other characteristics of defibrillation pulses delivered to the patient, and the times at which defibrillation pulses were delivered to the patient. Based on input provided by the paramedics, the defibrillator may also, for example, record the times at which drugs were delivered to the patient, or the times at which cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed on the patient.
After the medical emergency has ended, those who treated a patient may want or need to generate a report detailing the condition and treatment of the patient. For example, paramedics are generally required by rule or law to generate run reports each time they respond to a medical emergency. The run reports may include scene arrival and departure times, assessment of the patient, patient vital signs, a record of treatments, and the like.
Often, paramedics generate such run reports by reviewing the medical emergency information recorded by a defibrillator. The medical emergency information alone is generally insufficient to generate a run report, and must be supplemented by the paramedics using any handwritten notes they may have been taken during the medical emergency and their memories. Because of the time pressure involved in a medical emergency, any notes taken will likely be incomplete, and the memories of the paramedics may be inaccurate. Further, the notes may actually confuse the paramedics because any times jotted down therein will likely be based on a wristwatch that is not synchronized to the defibrillator clock. Consequently, run reports generated in this manner may be incomplete and inaccurate, which may cause problems if the run report is relied upon for performance evaluation, billing, medical research or legal defense in the case of malpractice allegations.